The Path Less Traveled
by frostzuki
Summary: A retelling of Awakening following my version of Robin. The story begins around chapter seven in the game and will go from there. If anyone has an idea for a better title I'm all ears. First Fanfic CordeliaxRobin. Will be mention of other pairings. Chapter one quick fix on the whole god/Naga thing thanks you to those who pointed that out.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **

**This is my first fan fiction I have written so please keep that in mind while you are reading but other than that please feel free to give your opinion along with an advice you have in order to make this story just better overall. I will be skipping to around chapter 7 or so just because everyone does the first few chapters of Awakening and I just find it to be uninteresting when you've read similar beginnings so many times anyway. Anyway on with the story. **

Robin felt winds rolling of the mountains come down upon him causing him to shiver from the shook of the cold. The man immediately pulled up his hood covering up his dark hair in an attempt to keep heat he could from escaping his body. Robin, the tactician of the Shepherds, was not a giant by any means but was still taller than your average man being about six feet tall give or take an inch. His hair was a dark brown almost black. His eyes were a light brown almost like melted chocolate. Under his coat he wore a plate chest piece which matched gloves that were leather then lined with plate mail. On his back was his sword. It was an iron claymore. Unlike other swords that most wielded his blade was made to be wielded with two hands instead of one. Robin reasoned that the stopping power was worth being less agile will in a fight as long all his strikes were carefully coordinated, and most of the time they were.

While Robin could use magic, he was…..different than most. He didn't use tomes like other mages or sorcerers, his magic literally flowed through his body. Blue markings down his arms going to in-betweens his shoulder blades acted as a catalyst in the place of a tome. The down side was he was limited in the kind of magic he could use in which his case was thunder magic. The markings would act as the catalyst and cause his magic to merge with his nervous system allowing his to amplify his body's natural electrical circuits and use it was a weapon. In fact his magic was stronger than most in this area along with significantly more control allowing to control its shape without to much difficulty, but if he used to much magic at once he put at his body at risk of blowing his nerves giving partial or complete paralysis, along with the possibility of death. With this in mind he tried to use magic stingily in to limit his risk of nerve damage. He had already caused temporary paralysis in his left arm during their battle at the gates of Ferfox and would much rather go through that whole endeavor again.

"Chrom, how much longer are we going to be stuck in these damn mountains?! "yelled Robin. The blunnete turned to look at his tactician who stood a ways behind him.

"Well if you stop whining we might get back to flat land before dark, "chuckled Chrom. Robin sighed and looked up at the sky with a distant look in his eyes. Chrom took not and said, "What's wrong Robin?"

"It's too easy for us to be ambushed here. Wyverns could easily be positioned on the cliffs and in the basin. Not to mention with the turn in the road creates a blind spot where enemy infantry could easily hide. I don't like it. We should get out of here as soon as possible," said Robin. Chrom laughed.

"Can't relax at all huh?

Robin smirked and said, " I'll relax once you royal ass stops putting me in situations like this. You are a magnet for trouble you know. Besides if you die who do think is going to get blamed? Last thing I need is a bunch upset women coming for my head. Speaking of which you still need to tell me how you made not only Maribelle, but Sumia fall for you. I wouldn't be surprised to find out all the female Shepherds had at least a crush on you, which by the way is not fair. Think about the little people."

"I honestly have no idea what you are talking about." Robin studied Chrom face and realized the prince honestly had no idea the effect he had on women.

"Chrom…"

"Yes?"

"I love you man but, you are rather dense you know that?" After saying that he noticed that Hierarch was acting strange. "Hey Chrom, is he ok? He's acting rather fidgety." As he finishes saying this multiple wyverns come down from the cliffs making their way towards the flank of the Shepherds followed by a group of infantry charging at them after coming around the corner.

"Damn it! I told you this place was too good of a place to be ambushed! Virion, Ricken, Mirel, Keep them off us, rest of you standard battle formation. We meet them head on!" cried Robin as he drew his blade from his back. As he charged he held out his left hand firing into the group of infantry injuring a few since they were so closely packed. As a fighter got close Robin slashed horizontally cutting through his leather armor and into his stomach. As another approached and attacked him, Robin was able to side step and decapitate him while he was recovering himself from his own momentum. As he was finishing off a solider that found his way to him he heard Chrom's voice. "Behind you!"

As Robin turned he saw a wyvern coming down on to him. With no time left to maneuver he was prepared for the worst. 'I'm a tactician and I should know better than to neglect my blind spots. Idiot!' Just then the Rider fell off his wyvern. Upon closer inpection you could see a javelin protruding from his neck. Robin looked up to see another Peagus Rider joining the fray. One who obviously knew her way around a lance. He found himself just watching the woman take down Wyrven after Wyrven with such grace that he almost forgot about the battle around him.

"Hey Sparky!" yelled Sully. Robin grimaced slightly at the nickname that was bestowed upon him. "Get your head in the game unless you feel like pushing up daisies tonight." The battle after that was ended with relative ease with only minor injuries throughout the Shepherds. As the battle concluded Robin saw the Pegasus rider land and as she did he jogged up to thank her.

"Hey thanks yo…." He was cut off as the rider fell off her mount. Luckily Robin was able to caught her before she hit the ground. It was then he saw the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. Her slender build, long legs, delicate face, and red hair. Robin kind of had a thing for redheads. Robin immediately shook the thoughts out of his head.

"Hey are you ok?" The woman began to stir and look up at him. 'Naga those eyes….NO BAD BRAIN! BAD'

"You ok?" he asked again.

"Yeah sorry…. Are you guys the Shepperds? I need to talk to captain Phila." Robin simply nodded and helped her walk to where Phila, the Exalt, and Chrom were talking. Then suddenly Sumia ran up.

"Cordelia! Is that you?!" she cried.

"You know her Sumia?"

"Of course! She is my best friend after all. I'll take it from here." Sumia then procede to take Cordelia from Robin.

"Well alright. It was nice to meet you Cordelia, thanks again for the assist."

"Any time," she gave a small smile. "Thank you for your help errr…"

"Robin. The name is Robin. I'm the tactician in our group so I'm sure we shall see more of each other. I'll see around." Robin gave a smile and then walked off to check on the other members of the Shepherds. 'Naga help me if I find out she is into Chrom…..'


	2. Chapter 2

'I jinxed it….' Robin thought to himself. He was just finishing up a training session with Fredrick when he saw Cordelia looking at Chrom who was practicing his swordsmanship with a look that could be only described as longing. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly as he took the sight in. Over the course of the last few days, when he wasn't busy planning the rescue of the Exalt, was able to have a few conversations with the red-headed Pegasus knight. Robin enjoyed talking to someone who was somewhat mature but not overbearing like Fredrick, yet possessed quick wits which lead to a few good laughs. The woman was intelligent, beautiful, a more than capable warrior, independent, and still possessed a feminine charm to her that women like Sully lacked. Robin had to admit he was more than a little smitten. He quickly shook his head and regained his composure and walked towards Chrom.

"Hey, Chrom! Your imaginary friend screaming for mercy yet?" Chrom looked up at Robin and smirked. "Well of course! Though he was putting up a better fight than a certain tactician I know…."

Robin laughed and grabbed a wooden great sword from the rack of training arms. "Well then you better be able to put your money where your mouth is. The usual?"

"50 gold pieces and bragging rights for the day. Bring it." The two warriors stood at opposite sides of the duel circle and assumed battle stances. After circling each other for a few seconds, Chrom made the first move attacking with an overhand swing. Robin side stepped out of the way moving in a way similar to Lonqu. Chrom continued his assault but was unable to land a blow. Robin smirked slightly happy to see his training was paying off. Chrom made a feint attack and then changed the momentum of the strike catching slightly off guard, forcing him to block the blow with his blade. Robin stepped back and decided that he needed to go on the offensive. He swiped at Chrom's feet forcing Chrom backwards, then immediately making a slash towards his midsection with was parried.

"You've gotten better Robin. I'm impressed but, I have yet to lose to you and I don't plan on doing so today." Said Chrom with a smirk.

"Big talk from a man who used most of his energy already just hit air," responded Robin. "Now it's time for me to get serious." The pair began trading blows back and forth for several minutes drawing a crowd to the fight. Robin and Chrom charged at each other clashing their blades with one trying to overpower the other. It wasn't long before Chrom noticed that Robin was beginning to slowly push the swords closer and closer to him. It was the obvious effects of Fredrick's daily training routines. When Robin noticed this he smirked. Chrom quickly jumped back and used his slightly superior agility to rush to Robin's other side in an attempt to get a attack of on his flank. Robin noticed this went into a slash at Chrom. When both of their swords stopped moving they were both at each other's throats. The pair smiled at each other.

"Well not quite a win but I'll take what I can get," said Robin.

"Hahaha! You'll get me one of these days. You train more than anyone else at camp and Naga it shows." Said Chrom. The two were interrupted by applause and whistles from the audience that gathered. Robin looked over, only now noticing then, and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"When did they show up?" whispered Robin to Chrom.

"Not sure. Just go with it." The pair bowed and then put their practice weapons back on the rack. As the crowd dispersed Robin noticed Chrom's gaze following Sumia as she made her way back to the where the mounts where kept.

"Oh? What's this? Chrom finding himself enthralled with a women? I never thought I'd see the day when our brick wall of a prince noticed a member of the opposite sex. This is truly a wondrous day. "

"Shove it, Robin. It's just a crush; I doubt she has any interest in a man…. OW! Naga, was it necessary to hit me?"

"Simply stimulating brain cells. I was worried that milord's brain was not functioning for the woman of his desires has been waiting on his beck and call for how long now? I mean she makes you pies man. PIES! She wants you Chrom! Get your head out of the clouds and go get your woman!" Robin was happy to see Chrom finally going after a woman. Sumia would be a great choice and would take great care of the fool of a prince. He then felt a surge of guilt. The rest of his 'harem' would be heartbroken to see their leader taken by another woman. Sadly, Cordelia was among them…. This very much caused an odd mixture of emotions. Robin was happy that now this gave him a chance but at the same time, he didn't want to see her sad. A face that beautiful should not be filled with sorrow.

As he watched Chrom head off in the direction of Sumia, he sighed, 'I'll figure this out later.' Robin thought to himself. As he walked towards he felt his purple mark on his right hand burn. Robin grunted in pain and grasped in pain. The burning sensation slowly crept up his arm moving closer and closer to runes on his back once it reached there, Robin felt something inside him snap. All the sudden purple flames and electricity danced wildly around him, almost appearing to be doing battle against one another. After a few second it stopped and Robin's world turned black.

** Author's Note: Yes short I know. I'll try to make the next chapter longer and there will be interaction between Robin and other members of the Shepherds. As stated before this is my first fan fiction, so all criticism is appreciated. So please read, relax, and review.**


	3. Chapter 3

'_Give in Robin. You are my vessel. It is your destiny to be my tool. The key to my…awakening. You will betray those who came to trust you. You will be devoured and we shall become one. No man, women, or child will be spared. The world shall burn in my flames. Our flames. So just give in. No matter how much you resist you will fall. Remember that.' _

Robin immediately opened his eyes and shot forward breathing heavily. 'That voice….who was that? What the hell was he talking about…?'

"Robin?" A voice interrupted his thoughts. "Oh thank Naga you're awake. After your little light show I didn't know what to do." Robin turned toward the voice and there stood Lissa with staff in hand. Confused, Robin took in his surroundings. He appeared to be in the medical tent. 'That right… last thing I remembered was that burning sensation in my hand and then that overflowing magical power that came on me. 'Slowly, Robin lifted his right hand and stared at the purple mark. He never liked it. The mark always seemed sinister but always thought it would be better to ignore it. 'Seems that was a bad idea…'

"Robin? Helloooooo?" Lissa's voice once again stopped his thoughts.

"Sorry to worry you Lissa," said Robin giving a grin hoping to reassure Lissa a little bit. "I feel fine now. If you don't mind though do you mind telling me what happened?"

"Huh? You don't remember?"

Robin chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. "I remember pain shooting up my arm and to the runes on my back. The rest is a blur."

"Well let's see… purple flames and lightning seemed to coming off of you while you standing in the center of camp. Nearly set the entire place on fire. You had a very spaced out look on your face, like you weren't aware of what was going on yourself. After a few seconds the light show stops and you fall over out. We took you in here and I've been watching over you since then, though you have had a few visits from nearly every Sheppard in camp. Especially Chrom. The man wouldn't leave you alone." Lissa laughs at the last part while Robin gives a small smirk.

"Well of course. What would the fool do if I wasn't there to babysit him? So…. How long was I out?"

"A day and a half."

"What?!" Robin exclaimed. Quickly he jumps out of bed and grabs his noteworthy coat and runs out the tent flaps, ignoring Lissa's shouts of protest. Robin then runs to the War tent sprinting inside. As he runs in Chrom, Fredrick, and Virion look up at him in astonishment.

"Robin?! When did you wake up?" said Chrom.

"Don't worry about it. We have a strategy to work on don't we? Your sister isn't going to save herself."

Chrom sighs and simply nods. Robin just woke up and was already about to work on formulating the 'perfect' plan. It was going to be a long night.

_Scene break_

Robin sighed as he ran his finger through his hair in exasperation. It had been a few hours since he sent Chrom and the others to their tents to rest. He only able to convince them leave when he said he was just going to fine tune the strategy and it would only take him half an hour. Obviously Robin had lied. Tomorrow they would be engaging with Grangrel and the life of the Exalt hanged in the balance. The plan had to be perfect, counter measures must be made in case something went wrong, and casualties on their side must be minimized while casualties must be maximized on theirs. The hypocrisy of the idea that he was saving lives was always difficult to swallow. To protect the ones he loved… he had to become a butcher of men, a harbinger of death. Robin slapped himself in the face to get such thoughts out of his head.

"I must remember, they started this war, I'm simply ending this as quickly as possible to prevent further death," Robin muttered to himself. He then looked back down at the map in front of him and began moving figurines that represented battalions, platoons, and squads. This was the first time that he could remember that he was coordinating an operation at this large a scale. Robin had been put in charge of not only the Shepherds, but both the Armies of Ylisse and Ferfox. Naga help him, expectations seemed too great.

"Robin? You're you still up?" A voice snapped Robin out of his thoughts and looked towards the tent flaps. Standing there was Cordelia who, even at this time of night, was still wearing her breastplate.

"C-Cordelia?! What are you doing here? You should be asleep. We have a big day tomorrow and I need you in top form." Robin prayed that she didn't hear him stutter like a fool. 'Damn her and her elegant face, fiery red hair, long leg…. NO! BAD BRAIN! WAR FIRST SWOONING LATER!'

"Same should be said to you," Cordelia gave a small smile as she said this and sat down next to Robin at the table. "I couldn't sleep and went out to stretch my legs a bit when I caught sight of the light permeating the tent. So… what's on your mind?"

"Nothing's wrong. I'm fine don't worry about me." Robin knew he was lying through his teeth. Even Vaike would be perceptive enough to notice this.

"Robin….You're a terrible liar. Your left twitches when you do."

"Really? Damn..."

"So out with it. I'm not going to leave you alone until you tell me what's going through that head of yours." Robin hesitated for a bit before opening his mouth again.

"I'm scared. I have never done anything like this before. This isn't like before where it was just us, the Shepherds, but knows I'm toying with the lives of thousands!" Robin took a deep breath before continuing. "The ruler of our country is at Grangrel's mercy and we both know he doesn't have much of that in him. If I fail… I might have doomed us all…"

Cordelia just sat there staring at Robin intently as he spoke. When he finished that sat there in silence for a moment before she spoke. "So you doubt yourself? If that's the case you need to stop for a moment and look at all you have already done. A man with no memory not only found his way to the Shepherds but to tactician. Not to mention you are one of the best swordsman in the entire army, only to be matched by Lon'qu and Chrom, both masters in their art. Along with this you have more magical potential that most men and you don't even need a tome to cast. You are a master tactician second to none so don't you doubt yourself now! We believe in you Robin! I believe in you! So believe in yourself… please."

Robin silently sat unable to form words. No one, not even Chrom, who he felt was like a brother to him, has ever reassured him the she had just now. If she was behind him, watching his back… he could do anything, no, he WOULD do anything.

"Thank you… I think that what I needed to hear." Robin gave her a small smile before rising from his seat. "I think both we should get some sleep, it's going to be a long day tomorrow."

"You're right. Good night Robin," Cordelia rose as well and walked out of the tent. Robin watched her walk out and once she left he smiled a little wider. 'She really is amazing huh? Well I should probably get some sleep.' He then left the tent looking forward to a decent nights rest.

_Scene break_

Robin sat next to Chrom at the head of the table in the War tent. To his left were Virion and Fredrick, to his right were Flavia and Basilio, and directly across sat Phila. All around Robin were the brightest minds and leaders for the upcoming battle.

"So, would you like to begin Robin?' asked Chrom.

"That would probably be appropriate. Our primary objective to save the Exalt remember that, if this done correctly however, the war ends here and Grangrel's head will be on a pike by sundown. "Robin smiled when he saw all of their stunned expressions. "To begin the Ferfox armies will attack from the east will the Ylissian armies will strike from the west. The reason for this is simple, to surround the enemy and force them to focus their attention on two fronts. The problem is here, their large archer divisions and dark mage divisions. To take care of this Fredrick will lead a small task force to puncture their lines here. I recommend roughly 15 cavalry units along with Stahl, Sully, and Panne. If Panne is transformed she should have no problem keeping up and would be an asset to you. Is this agreeable?"

Fredrick gulped slightly when Robin mentioned Panne but otherwise nodded in agreement. Robin smiled and continued, "Continuing on, once Fredrick punctured the lines, a Shepherd strike force will go through and make mincemeat of their divisions in close combat. Virion, you're in charge of this part. I trust your judgment to do this." Robin knew well that under his womanizing exterior stood a smart tactician and leader in his own right. "Once, Virion clears a portion of the mages and archers, Phila should be able to lend air support from there giving us the advantage at this point. Sumia and Chrom along with Cordelia and I will make the most of the chaos and beeline it to Grangrel. After, Chrom and I get to Grangrel; we will engage and save the Exalt. If possible I think it would be a good idea to go ahead and take Grangrel out. If we can kill him, the war is over. Any questions?"

. It was silent until Flavia spoke up, "Listen, after this war how about you come over to Ferfox? I'm in need of a tactician."

"Hands off! I got to him first!" exclaimed Chrom. Robin laughed and smiled. They could do this. He knew it. As long as everything went according to plan all would be fine. He then frowned slightly for he knew the number one rule of war, nothing went according to plan.

**Authors Note: Ok so next chapter will be the battle. I won't lie I loved writing this chapter and am looking forward to writing the next one. Please let me know what you thought and thank you to those who reviewed last time. I appreciate all of your support.**


	4. Chapter 4

"So how do you feel?" asked Lissa. Robin was sitting on a cot shirtless while Lissa was preforming an examination. After the incident in the middle of camp where Robin erupted into magical hazard, he was advised by Chrom that would be a good idea to get checked out to see if they could at least determine the cause.

"Honestly, I haven't felt this good for a long time. Everything just seems easier than it was before. Even Frederick said I something about how he was surprised that I was able to keep up with him during training!" replied Robin.

"Odd… I would assume to that it would be the opposite… I mean you were knocked out for several hours afterwards"

"Yeah really. Oh well I'm not complaining!" said Robin with a grin.

"Hey Robin?"

"Hmm?"

"The star on your back… what happened to one of the points? There are only four now." Robin froze as she said this. The tattoos on his arms ran up to a circle with a star in the center with some sort of ruin in the center in the star. He remembered how the pain traveled up his arm and to his back right before the magical outburst.

"I wonder if it has anything to do with it…" he muttered to himself.

"I'm sorry?"

"Nothing. So doc do I check out?" said Robin with a forced smile, quickly changing the subject.

Lissa just looked at him for a minute then said, "Well nothing seems physically wrong with you but we still don't know what caused that attack. All we know or certain was that whatever it was strong enough to knock you out and know you feel physically stronger than before. Honestly I don't know what to make of it," said Lissa. She sat back down in a chair and began to stroke an imaginary beard. "Maybe it was what caused that point of the star to disappear who knows. The tattoos you have do influence your magical energy and potential so maybe they are the cause. Until we know more the only thing I can tell you is too take it easy on them magic for a while okay?" Lissa jumped out of the chair and began walking towards the tent flaps. "Well later!"

Robin rose and began dressing and followed in suit. 'Take it easy huh… the operation is just around the corner, I'm not sure if I can afford to hold back'

_Scene break_

"Outfit yourselves with your armor and arms! Afterwards form rank! We march to save our beloved exalt and end this meaningless bloodshed! Today, it will be written the armies of Ylisse and Ferfox defeated Grangrel and his Plegian followers! I want all to be ready to fight in less than an hour! For the Exalt!" shouted Chrom.

"FOR THE EXALT!" came the cries of thousands. The crowd of soldiers then quickly dispersed to prepare of the battle ahead.

"Quite the motivator huh?" asked Robin as he walked up to Chrom. Robin and Chrom were already armed and were making last minute preparations for the battle. "I forget sometimes you can extremely charismatic when you wish to be."

"Oh shove it Robin," replied Chrom. "We both know that I am nothing but hot-headed idiot with a sword who just happens to have royal blood."

"And I'm an amnestic you found in the field who just happens to be in charge of an army so we're even," said Robin with a large grin. "Believe it or not you are a great leader and you have the respect of all those under you, myself included. So have some more confidence in your abilities okay? Now come on we have an Exalt to save."

Robin then walked away in search of Virion. "Hey Archy!"

Virion looked up from a map he had placed in front of him. "Ah, Robin. Did you need something of me?"

"Just checking in. Have you decided who you wished to take in your unit?"

"I was thinking of Vaike, Lon'qu, Kellam, Mirel, Gaius, and myself. Figured that would give us a fairly rounded unit overall to lead push into their lines."

"If possible I will try to send a few squads of infantry to back you and Fredrick up. If you are not careful you guys could be overwhelmed so I'm counting on you oh Archest of the Archers," said Robin and he did and exaggerated bow.

Virion laughed and said, "Of course you can count on us. If all goes well the women won't be able to get enough of the hero who made victory possible no?"

"Ha-ha! Good luck with that friend! Make sure you survive so you can prove your point to me."

"Will do!" Robin then made his way to where Cordelia and Sumia were preparing their pegasi for combat.

"Sumia! Cordelia! Are you guys ready? Chrom should be here soon so I'm guessing we will leave softly afterwards,"

"Robin are you sure about this plan? You did put a lot of importance and Cordelia and I. I'm not entirely sure if I can live up to your expectations. I'm not nearly as talented as Cordelia and I'm known as a klutz so I could end up being a hazard to the operation and I…" Sumia's rambling was cut off by Robin placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Sumia, you are the fastest peagsus rider in the entire army and whether you believe it or not, you are a valuable asset to all of us. I know you can do this. I'm sure everyone else feels the same way I do. So relax okay? Besides you aren't alone. Chrom, Cordelia and I will be with you every step of the way."

Sumia just looked at Robin for a minute then, with a look of determination etched across her face nodded and said, "You're right Robin. Thank you. I'm going to grab my lance I'll be right back." With that she ran off into the camp in search of her weapon leaving Robin and Cordelia alone with the winged beasts.

"Since when did you give motivational speeches?" asked Cordelia.

"Since a certain peagsus rider helped me out when I was feeling down in the middle of the night," replied Robin as he winked at Cordelia.

Cordelia simply laughed and said, "Well the last thing we need is to have our army's tactician brooding over something that has yet to even happen. Even though you have been here for only a few months the other Shepherds look up to you and hold you to a high regard. Not to mention that in the short time you were here you got closer to Chrom than anyone else with the exception of his sister. The last thing they need is to see you breaking down before a major battle."

"Well I appreciate it. One my biggest fears in life is to become a burden to those I care about. They took me in when I had nowhere to go and no memories of who I was or where I was from. They gave me a family and a purpose in my life. That's something I'll never be able to repay them but I'm going to try anyway I can."

"Sounds almost like you got everything figured out."

"I wish! Would make me life a hell of a lot easier don't you think?" said Robin as he laughed slightly.

"Ha-ha I suppose it would."

"Enough about me what about you? You have known them much longer than I've known them. I'm curious to know what exactly they mean to you.'

"They are like the family you never wanted but are happy to know that in the end you do have them. Vaike for example is like the insane cousin that you love but you just can't help but want to hit him in hopes that it would rebalance his mind and fix whatever is wrong with that man while Fredrick is like the wise and protective older brother of the group. Sumia is obviously like a sister to me, same with Lissa. Chrom is…"

After a moment of silence Robin cleared his throat. "Well what about me? Am I cousin, brother, what?'

"You… I'm not sure where to place you honestly. You're…different."

"Should I be offended?" asked Robin in a joking manner.

"No, no it's nothing bad, honest."

'Well at least she doesn't see me as a brother…' After he thought that that Robin saw Sumia and Chrom approaching and called out to them.

"Are you ready Chrom?" asked Robin.

"Of Course! It's my sister were saving isn't it? So of course I'm ready! What about you?"

"Yep! We've been waiting on your royal butt so now that you're here let's get a move on already!"

Sumia and Cordelia mounted each of their respective mounts and Sumia pulled Chrom on to its back without any difficulty and took off. Cordelia then extended her hand out and helped a slightly nervous looking tactician onto the back of her peagsus.

"It's my first time so please be gentle with little old me" said Robin.

"First time huh? Then I guess I get to have some fun with you," replied Cordelia with a mischievous grin.

'Naga save me…please'

With that the peagsus shot into the air with the combined Armies of Ferfox and Ylisse following.

_Scene break_

"Chrom! The troops are in position and are awaiting the signal. Are you ready?" asked Robin.

Chrom simply nodded with determination filling his eyes as he slowly pulled out falchion. Robin pointed his hand towards the sky and released a streak of lightning across the sky. With that the troops bellow charged toward the Plegian army that was waiting for them. The two armies clashed with the clanging of steel of shouts of men filling the air. Robin new that of the battle continued like this they would be at a disadvantage. Until they could deal with the archers and some of the mages, it was far too risky to send in the peagsus riders which made up almost a quarter of the Ylissian military forces. Without them mixed in the melee, the Plegians had air superiority with their wyvern riders. To make up for their lack of air power, Robin had the Ferfox and Ylissian troops split to surround the Plegians forcing them to focus on two fronts along with thinning out their otherwise thick lines giving combined forces some kind of advantage.

"Robin look!" Robin quickly snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of Cordelia's voice and looked to where she was pointing. Robin saw that Fredrick was beginning his cavalry charge in to a point in the lines that was weakened severely.

"Sumia, Chrom! I need you guys to make sure the peagsus riders are prepared to charge!" By the time Virion's force was beginning to move through the hole in the lines, the peagsus riders have gathered and were ready to swoop. Once the Sheppards engaged the archers, Robin shouted "NOW!" and with that the Riders swooped down picking off a solider each with each swoop that a rider would make.

"Okay, now Cordelia, Sumia, I need you guys to get us to their general. Chrom and I can take it from there you guys just keep an eye on us in case something happens."

"Got it!" they said in unison. Sumia and Cordelia with Robin and Chrom riding with each of them respectively sped off over the troops that were currently engaged in combat while dodged in occasional arrow and spell. When the enemy general was in sight the two peagsus riders lowered their altitude and Robin and Chrom jumped off then brandished their weapons.

Robin then immediately charged at the general. The enemy thrust his lance towards Robin, aiming at his lower abdomen. Due to the weight of the armor, the general's attack was sluggish and was easily dodged by the more mobile Robin by simply stepping to the side. Not wasting his chance, Robin slashed downward upon his foe which was caught by the general's shield. Using his superior strength, the general shoved Robin away and attempted to once again skewer Robin. Luckily for the tactician, Chrom was able to parry the blow falchion. Robin jumped back firing off a bolt of lightning at hulking solider. The general was unable to react fast enough and took the bulk of the spell and let out a scream of pain. Chrom took the generals moment of weakness and drove his blade deep in the split between the helmet on the breastplate of the general's armor. After a moment of silence blood began pouring out of the armor and the body went limp.

Robin took a deep breath and focused his attention on Chrom, "Now for Emm…" Robin let his words hang lose in the hair for as he looked upwards he saw the Exalt standing on a cliff smiling sadly down to Chrom. She began to speak, but even though her mouth was moving Robin couldn't hear a thing. All the sound around had disappeared and the world appeared to have stopped moving his the Exalt slowly kept walking towards the edge of the cliff and then finally throwing herself of it, dying from the fall.

"Isn't that cute? The Exalt thought she could save you all and bring on peace if she died. What a fool! HAHAHAHAHA!" The sound of maniacal laughter snapped Robin out of his trance like state.

"Grangrel! I'll kill you, damn it!" screamed Chrom as he quickly began to run towards Grangrel and some woman who stood a ways away. Grangrel simply smirked then looked towards the scantily clad woman. She grinned and held a box out with her hand which began to give off an ominous glow. A rotting hand shot out of the ground and slowly a risen emerged. One by one hundreds to thousands emerged carrying bows and melee arms. Chrom stopped and his eyes went wide with surprise.

"RISEN! TAKE THOSE WINGED FLEA BEASTS OUT OF THE SKY!" cried Grangrel. The risen turned towards the peagsus riders and released a volley of arrows killing off several including the commander of the peagsus knights, Phila.

"Damn you!" Chrom was about to start charging towards Grangrel again until he was stopped by Robin.

"Robin wha-"

"We're outnumbered and just lost almost every advantage we have, it's time to cut our loses and retreat," said Robin. His voice was completely void of emotion and his head was lowered in such a way that his eyes could not be seen. He looked towards Sumia and Cordelia, who were dodging arrows left and right, and whistled. The two peagsus riders quickly made their way to them.

"Chrom get on."

"But that bastard killed Emm! I can't just..."

"The longer we're here the more people will die, we can't win. Now get on before I knock you out and make Sumia take you back." Chrom sat there for a second stunned before begrudgingly climbing onto the peagsus.

"Sumia, I counting on you to get him back safely, make sure the retreat order is issued." Sumia simply nodded and took off.

"Cordelia, the peagsus riders are yours know. Get them the hell out of here, got it?"

"What about you?"

"Someone needs to keep those arrows off of you."

"What the hell?! You sent Chrom back just to get yourself killed?!"

"I don't intend to die. This is an order, call for them to fall back and oversee the retreat. Do not concern yourself with me. Keep Chrom alive at all costs, he is the new Exalt."

"God damn it Robin!" Just as she says this several arrows fly by their heads.

"Go!" Cordelia, after hesitating toke off into the air shouting orders as she flew. Robin gave a short sigh and turned towards the risen. The hated that he had been suppressing for the last few minutes quickly began to boil over. He wanted to destroy all of them. Build a mountain in their corpses and brandish it with Grangrel's head. The mark on his right hand began to burn, very much like it did on the day of his magical eruption. The pain shot up his arm and to his back and electricity and flames surrounded him. It was significantly more powerful than before. If he was in camp, several the tents would have caught ablaze. Once, it calmed down he was exhausted for several seconds but felt completely amazing. A sense of ecstasy he didn't know was possible completely overtook him. Power that he didn't have before began to flow through him. Robin was shot out of his dream like state with an arrow piercing his shoulder.

Robin felt something snap, something inside him. Using he pushed of the ground charging, almost gliding towards the risen at unmatched speed, leaving a trail of scorched earth and electrical sparks behind him. Robin felt like he was no longer human. He had become a demon. A trail of electrical energy followed him as he charged through and fought the Risen. Each attack he made was more violent and animalistic with each kill he made. If he could not make it to his intended target in a single lunge, he fired off overwhelming amounts of lightning off which would follow the swing of his greatsword, acting as if it was an extension of the blade itself. From the sky the bright glow of Robin's magic could be seen to be followed by the dropping of several Risen. Even though Robin cut through dozens of Risen, for each one he slain two more would take their places.

As Robin finished cutting through yet another risen soldier, he peered up to the sky and saw that the peagsus riders were gone. He then looked to see for the most part the battle had ended and the soldiers of Plegia were beginning to advance on him. His rationality quickly replaced his bloodlust.

'I need to get out of here, I practically surrounded so I guess the only way out is through them.' Using his accelerated speed, he shot off like an arrow fired from Virion's bow towards the right side of the army where the soldiers where spread the thinnest. He heard a thud and little pressure on his upper left leg but chose to ignore it continuing his advance. Many of the soldiers saw him go berserk in the midst of the risen and chose to stay their distance as opposed to attempting to slow him done, those who did try, where unable to touch him due to the speed of his movements.

Robin continued to run for almost an hour after passing through the army until finally stopping near a large boulder. The minute the adrenaline died down he felt pain flow though his body. In his shoulder and thigh had arrows imbedded within them. Also his arms lost all feeling within them. No longer could he actually lift them up. Robin quickly dropped to his knees doubling over in pain. He began to cough violently which was followed by him throwing up blood.

'Guess I over did it huh? I still have no idea where all that strength came from in the first place. Well doesn't matter now. I doubt I'm going to survive. Sorry Chrom. I failed you. I promised to save your sister, thought I could. But here I am laying down on the job.' Robin snickered and looked up at the sky. 'Thank you, all of you. I had nothing and you guys took me in, accepted me, gave me a purpose, a family. I owe you all so much. I'm sorry. Guess I'll be taking my debt to my grave with me. I hope to see you all in a better life.' Robin coughed again as more blood ran done his mouth. He smiled solemnly as his vision began to fade. 'Goodbye all of you.' Right before his vision went completely black he could have sworn he saw an angel coming down to take to the next life.

_**Author Notes:**_

_** I'm back! Sorry for the lack of updates, family circumstances came up but are all cleared up now. This is my longest chapter yet. I was a little disappointed on how some of the fight scenes came out and will try to do better in the future. Please leave any suggestions you have for I am happy to hear them so I could improve as a writer. So please a review. **_


	5. Chapter 5

Robin opened his eyes to see nothing; nothing except darkness, a darkness that stretched on forever in every direction. An eerie feeling of hatred, wrath, and touch of envy came off of this world, and yet, a feeling a belonging, like this was where he belonged above all else. Naturally, this feeling frightened him.

"Hello Avatar." Robin's head shot around towards the sound of the voice. Sitting on a throne of what appeared to be bone, sat a hooded figure. Something was painfully familiar about him, though he did not know from where.

"Where are we?" Robin's voice came out far calmer than he actually felt.

"This is my realm," said the man, "Let's just say it lies somewhere very close to home for you. It would be no fun if you knew everything now would it Avatar?"

"My name is Robin, I am not this Avatar or whatever you keep calling me."

"Honestly I don't care if your name is Robin, Alfred, or Joe. As long as you serve your purpose nothing else matters."

"My purpose?"

"Why yes. You have quite the honor you know? I just can't wait!" The man laughed manically. "It's going to be such great fun."

"What are you talking about?!"

"You shall see when the time is right. For now just continue what you are doing while I simply sit back and watch. I must say though I wasn't expecting you to prematurely open a seal, not that I'm complaining mind you, but things are proceeding faster than I envisioned."

"You are really starting to piss me off…" muttered Robin. The hooded man simply laughed.

"Tell you what, since this has been fun, I'll let you ask one question before I send you back and I promise to answer it honestly."

"And I should believe you?"

"Don't have much else to go on you know? You're a tactician aren't you? You should very well know that your options at this point in time are slim to none."

"Fine…Who are you?" The figure simply chuckled.

"You really are predictable aren't you." He chuckled quietly, "Very well, you may know." The man slowly lowered his hood.

"No… No way!" The man laughed at Robin's distress. There sat his doppelganger with the only distinct difference was his white hair and pitch black eyes which felt like they threatened to suck everything into their ethereal pits of darkness.

"Yes, for I am you and you are me for we are one of the same. I shall see you soon… Avatar."

_Scene Break_

Robin shot forward drenched in sweat, his thoughts runny wild.

"Robin?! Oh thank Naga you're awake!" His eyes looked to his right where Lissa sat with her staff in hand. "We were worried that you wouldn't wake up! How are you feeling?"

After taking a deep breath calming himself he evaluated his current circumstances. "Honestly…I feel terrible, like my insides are liquidated…my arms especially feel weak I can barely lift them. I suppose that's what I get huh?"

"Damn right you idiot!" yelled Lissa, hitting him on the head with her staff as she said it.

"OW! What was that for?!"

"For scaring us all half to death! We all thought you were going to die! We already lost Emm…sniff…we can't lost you too…" tears swelled in her eyes as she spoke. Robin looked down ashamed.

"I'm sorry…I promised to bring her back too you… I failed…I should probably speak to Chrom."

"He is resting right now…it's been a long few days for him for all of us."

"Few days? How long was I out? Where are we?"

"About three days. We arrived in Ferfox last night. You're lucky you know. Besides your arrow wounds you were bleeding internally badly. Your nerves were pretty badly damaged too. If you didn't receive medical attention when you did, I doubt you would be able to recover."

"Well I was pretty sure I was going to die there to be honest. All I remember was blacking out next to that rock and see this angel coming down to sweep me away to the next life…"

"By any chance was she a redhead?

"Now that you mention it…"he was cut off by Lissa's giggles. "What?"

"That was probably Cordelia. She was the one that found you after all. Good to know that you think she's angelic though." Said Lissa with a wink. Robin turned red at this comment but said nothing.

"Thanks Robin I needed that. I haven't had a reason to laugh for a while…Anyway I'll let the others know that you're awake, I'm sure they are all anxious for at least some good news. See yeah."

"Bye." Robin smiled as he saw her of only to immediately drop as she was out of sight. 'So it all really happened huh… the Exalt died then I lost nearly getting myself killed. Naga what the hell was that? Then that dream…something tells me that it's connected to the magical outbursts and the pentagram on my back. It wouldn't be too hard to guess that another point disappeared from the star. If that's true, then what would happen if all the points were to disappear… the me in my dream called them seals so maybe they are containing something… Ugh...For now I better focus on the Sheppards. Moral, no doubt, is at an all-time low and Chrom is indisposed, so what can I do…?'

"Robin! What the hell where you thinking?!" Robin came out of his deep thought to see that an angry redhead had entered the medical tent and gulped reflexively.

"C-Cordelia! Ah... good to see that you're doing well…hehe..." said Robin sheepishly. He could sense her killing intent flowing for of her, all of it directed at him.

"Don't give me that you damn hypocrite! You order me to retreat, tell me you're going to be fine just to put yourself at death's doorstep! Naga help me I would kill you myself if I didn't go out of my way to safe your hide already!"

"N-Now Cordelia…Just calm down and think about this rationally…" This earned him a slap in the face from the Peagsus rider.

"NO! Not when you think it's okay just to charge headlong into danger and die! What the hell were you thinking?!" Robin sat there silently before opening his mouth.

"If someone didn't distract the risen how many more of your riders would have died? How many more families wouldn't be able to see their sisters, mothers, cousins, or even friends again if someone didn't do anything? I couldn't let that happen… At least that's what I'd like to say…"

"Huh?"

"Honestly I was pissed. They killed the sister of my best friend and stopped our chances of ending the war, just to start picking off our soldiers like they were game. I snapped, simple as that. The only thing I did right was sending you and Chrom back so that way you guys wouldn't get caught up in the bloodshed. By the way… Why did you come back? I ordered you to stay with the riders didn't I?"

"Because I already left my comrades behind to die once and sure as hell wasn't going to leave someone else I care about to die again! "

"What if you got hurt? You could have been killed damn it! I got enough people killed today due to my failure and I sure don't need to add anyone else to the list, especially you! I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I was the reason I got you killed!" Robin realized what he had just shouted and turned red turning away from her. "You guys are more important than me; you all have more to lose than me. I have no memories of who I was or where I came from. As far as I know I don't have any family waiting for me so in my eyes… I am more expendable than the rest of you… so my safety should be my last concern." They were both silent for what felt like an eternity.

"So what you're saying is that I should expect you to do this again at some point in time or just completely disregard your own safety for us huh?" Robin sighed and leaned back on his bed.

"Yeah. Sorry."

"Then I have no choice, if you aren't going to take care of yourself then I'll just have to watch your back for you." Robin's eyes shot open at this statement.

"What?!"

"From this point forward I'm going to watch your back, think of me as your official babysitter. Oh, and don't think of arguing. I'll just ask Chrom to order you to deal with it." Cordelia simply smirked. "So don't go doing anything stupid or talking about how you're expendable. I know that I would miss you if you were gone and know that Chrom would miss you too along with any of the other Sheppards would grieve your loss. Well I have to go work with the rest of the Peagsus riders for after all you thought it was appropriate to dump that on me, so bye!" As she walked out, Robin just sat there shocked, before chuckling to himself.

"Damn. I just can't beat her huh?" Robin muttered to himself as he lied back down to rest.

_Scene break _

Over the course of several days, most of the Sheppards met up with Robin too caught up with him and in many cases, scold him for being an idiot (except for the Khans who said the unpredictability made him more fun). With help of Lissa and one of the newer members, Libra, Robin went through rehabilitation so his arms where as good as new but was still having trouble walking. After about five days passed and still no sign of Chrom, Robin thought it would be best to take the initiative himself. It wasn't long before the tactician found himself in front of the Prince's door. He took a deep breath and knocked.

"Chrom? Can we talk?" There was no response from the other side. "Chrom, come on buddy. Locking yourself up like this isn't going to help. Talk to me."

"Go away…" came a soft voice.

"I'm coming in." said Robin, ignoring the voice on the other side he walked through the door to be greeted by the once proud prince huddled up under the covers of his bed.

"Sigh…you never were good at listening to order…"

"I learned from the best…." Said Robin smirking.

"You scared us you know…"

"Yeah I know… I have heard all the speeches already. Trust me when I said I understand. "

"Do it again and I'll have you hanged…"

Robin chuckled and said. "Duly noted."

"So… what do you want."

"I want my best friend back. I understand you're upset but sadly this isn't time to grieve. We have a war we need to win, to protect the peace Emm died for, to-"

"I know!" Chrom interrupted. "I know… crying won't bring her back, but still…"

"You're not alone Chrom. We're here for you. I know my being in a coma didn't help thing but still, I'm here for you. "

"As am I." The two men turned around to see Sumia standing at the door. "I will always stand beside you and I can speak for the others when I know they feel the same."

"Listen I appreciate but it doesn't matter. Without Emm it's all over! I can't be the Exalt! I'm not good enough, smart enough strong enough-"He was cut off to Sumia slapping him in the face, or it would be a slap if her hand was open and not balled into a fist.

"S-Sumia?! What was that?" asked Chrom.

"A slap! I…think…"

"A slap doesn't usually include a fist you know," said a Robin who was having great difficulty holding back his laughter. "Well you seem to be in good hands now so I'll just be leaving you love birds to your own devices." Robin winked and left the two red-faced and stuttering out excuse as he simply laughed. Chrom would be fine. All was left now was too plan out his next plan of attack. Emm…The Exalt of Ylisse would be avenged.


End file.
